New water treatment plant will allow Pomona to reactiatve nine wells

POMONA - The large blue pipes and vessels at the end of East Third Street and Electra Street in Pomona's eastern end may not seem much to some, but they actually will add up to 16 million of gallons of clean water daily to the city supplies.

The water-treatment facility, which cost about $8.8 million to build and was completed in late September, will allow the city to restart up to nine wells that were taken out of service because of chemical pollutants, according to a city staff report.

The plant will be "a major asset in our water quality treatment," said Daryl Grigsby, Pomona's public works director, during a recent dedication ceremony for the project.

The city will be able to produce more water and reduce its need for imported supplies, said Tim Hampton, of the city's Department of Public Works.

The city now buys water from the Metropolitan Water District through Three Valleys Municipal Water District, Hampton said.

Imported water costs the city about $800 per acre-foot, he said. Treating the city's water costs less than $400 per acre-foot, he said.

Part of the expense associated with imported water is related to the energy required to pump it over the Tehachapi Mountains, Hampton said.

In 2007, the city began treating some of its water to remove perchlorate - a chemical compound used in many industries that has found its way into many Southland water supplies - at a plant designed to reduce nitrate concentrations, the staff report said. Nitrates, a residue of the area's agricultural past, are also found in the region's water supply.

That plant is a short distance from the new facility.

The city did process some of the water, blending it with water from other sources while also shutting down wells with excessive amounts of perchlorate. These remedies increased costs and reduced the city's water production, the staff report said.

In 2008, the city contracted a study that recommended continuing to use the nitrates plant and adding another to handle perchlorate treatment, the staff report said.

In August 2011, the City Council awarded a contract to HDR Constructors to design and build the new water-treatment facility.

By late October, two of the nine wells had been activated, and Hampton said the city is "looking at reactivating another four within a year."

Access to that supply of water is important particularly during the summer, when the demand increases, he said.

Assemblywoman Norma Torres, D-Chino, was among the state and federal legislators who congratulated the city for carrying out the water project.

Having reliable drinking water "is a high priority in Pomona," said Torres, the city's former mayor.

Residents and others in the city expect to turn on their faucets and have quality water, but they also expect to have low rates, she said.